The Before Time
by Riptos-Calavera
Summary: The journey to make Tethe'alla the flourishing world is full of peril, this is the journey set before Lloyd and company's adventure. Prepare for lots of references and the visit of some familiar characters. R&R please, your feedback is appreciated.
1. 1: The Conveyance of the Oracle

**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Tales Of Symphonia, I Only Wish I Did.**

This fic is based upon an idea i had in my head while staring down a bottle of beer in my local bar. As obsessed with ToS's characters as i am, i began to wonder ...has anyone actually explained the journey that allowed Tethe'alla to become the flourishing world? Try as i might, i couldnt find a reference, so without further ado, here is my interpretation of that story.

The Before Time

Chapter 1: The Conveyance of the Oracle.

The sun had just risen on the sleepy hollow that was Sybak, the Church of Martel had rang it's bells to announce the arrival of the morning as villagers in the hustle and bustle hurried to open their stores. This particular morning held significance to one individual whom lived in this village. Her name was Elena Calavera and she was a student at the up and coming Sybak University, bright and enthusiastic almost to a fault, she had recently been lectured and shown the art of healing from her teacher. However, special though this child may be for the healing ability she has been nurturing, she holds a much more important task, she was to become known as the Chosen of Regeneration when her time came. Having just reached 16 years of age, she was expecting the oracle to be conveyed any day now.

Feeling both a little anxious and excited about the journey which would soon lay ahead of her, the young woman walked into the Sybak University classroom to be greeted by a long time friend of hers, a young man named Rydan Hershaw who was also trying to learn the arts of healing, however unlike his friend he wasnt quite as accomplished in the arts try though he might.

"Morning Rydan" Elena chirped cheerfully

"Whats so good about it?" Rydan muttered whilst holding his head in his hands, he looked rough, which was unusual as a man with his 5 ft 8" frame normally looked like they could hold himself well, not so it seemed.

Elena stared into his friend's dull green eyes "You werent out at the bar again were you?" she inquired.

"Im only taking advantage of being 18 which is something i believe you still cant do" he stuck his tongue out at Elena, always eager to annoy his younger friend.

"Well whatever, least i wont have Miss Rouge down my throat today then" she retorted...this friendly banter always seemed commonplace between the two though they both wouldnt acknowledge it as such.

At that moment 'Miss Rouge' walked in, she was approximately 30 years old and wore a vibrant red blouse as befitting her name and she had jet black hair along with piercing red eyes, Elena was convinced her intellectually challenged friend had a crush on her although he had always been quick to deny any such accusation. However she looked across at her friend to see a vacant stare emerging from him, she sighed 'only thing more obvious would be a puddle of drool around his chair' before returning to her essay book which had been placed in front of her by one of her fellow classmates.

"Good morning class" Miss Rouge addressed.

"Good morning miss" the class replied montonously and in unison.

The teacher started chalking up the lesson plan for the day on the board...just like any other day, only today would be different.

Mizuho Village: Same Time

Riptos Fujibayashi had long since been one of the best ninja's the village had ever known, he was an astute young man about 19 years of age. His 5ft 11" frame fit his job well, he had rough black hair which he found he couldnt conceal under a traditional ninja mask so he allowed his boyish face to remain in the open much to the dismay of the current chief of Mizuho.

"_You will get your identity revealed one of these days Riptos" the chief had said to him._

_"That isnt going to happen Chief, anyone who has seen it is in this village or has fell to my hands" his hands drifted to his weapons of choice, they rested on a pair of solid silver Saidons with crimson hilts. He had picked the colour specifically to contrast with his navy blue outfit._

_"Maybe so, but how long til someone gets away and tells the King of Meltokio what you look like?" the Chief retorted with real concern underlying his voice, "You are supposed to be the next chief of this village when i pass on"._

_"Your concern is unjustified, I will be just fine, if you really are that concerned about me getting involved with the King, then I can reside in the village for a while" Riptos added half heartedly._

_"I would like that besides, your little brother has missed you, I believe he wishes to train under you, maybe you can use this time to do that."_

Riptos was snapped from his daydream by that aforementioned brother, "Come on bro, are you gonna teach me how to fight then or what?" he heard the almost overly cheerful voice of his little brother.

"Knock it off Reval, im in no mood for childish foolings today" Riptos snapped.

"You promised though or were you lying, dont make me invoke the tradition" Reval jested with a serious undertone in his voice.

With that Riptos stood and surveyed his younger brother, he was taller than he was last time he visited Mizuho, he stood about 5ft 6 and had began to fill out a bit, guess that was to be expected for a 15 year old. Reval was beginning to look more like his father each time he came back. He had furious red eyes and hair to match just like dad did. Riptos smiled and thanked Martel that he had taken after his mother and kept a more normal black hair and blue eyes.

"What's so funny?" Reval asked

"It's nothing, here you will need these" he tossed a pair of Wooden Sai at his little brother and pulled out a pair of his own from the backpack.

They both adopted a fighting stance, Riptos showing more professionalism and experience, "Show me what you got kid" he said.

With this Reval charged both Sai drawn, Riptos merely sidestepped his little brother and smacked him on the back with a hilt of his Sai.

Reval was knocked down but shown his tenacity by standing straight back up, dusting his clothes off and running once more at his brother "Try this one , Flare Strike", a red wave of energy passed in front of the running apprentice catching Riptos off guard.

Riptos saw the energy wave heading straight for him, taken aback that his brother already had a grasp of some techniques, he backflipped over the energy into the branch of a tree before jumping behind Reval and cracking him down to the ground with the other Saidon. "Im impressed, since when did you have the ability to use Energy attacks like that?"

"Chief Taisuke taught me in your absence, told me to break your confidence a bit too"

Riptos rolled his eyes at this, the chief is always looking for ways to bring Riptos's confidence down a peg or two, but until he found someone that could rival him properly he felt it was justified.

"Okay im going to have to reset my plans for you little brother if you have already got a grasp of Techniques such as that" Riptos mused.

Before his brother could answer, a bright shaft of light seemed to erupt from Gaorrachia forest, piercing the very heavens themselves. Riptos & Reval couldnt help but stare at the shaft and think of what it means. 'The Chosen has just been summoned it seems' Riptos thought.

"Reval, wait here, inform the Chief that I have went on a small trip"

"You are going to the hidden temple arent you?"

"Yes, but I do not wish for the Chief to be aware of it just yet"

"I wanna go too, I wanna meet the Chosen"

"Im sorry brother, but you do not have the necessary skills to survive that forest just yet"

"Is that the real reason, you think im weak dont you?" Reval retorted almost angrily.

"I just dont want you to get hurt, you are the only family i have left, i do not want to lose you too" with that Riptos threw a smoke bomb at his feet and disappeared.

Reval stared at the ground and mused "What about me huh, you are all I have left" he muttered before walking back towards the Chief's house.

Sybak

Elena and Rydan had noticed the Oracle being conveyed in the nearby forest.

"Guess its that time then" Rydan mused giving Elena a friendly pat on the shoulder.

Elena sighed "I guess you are right" she turned to Miss Rouge before asking the dumbest question in the world. "Miss may i please be excused from class to save the world?"

Rydan slapped his forehead as he heard numerous chuckles from other classmates, the teacher just stared in disbelief, "Just go already" she said. "And good luck, our prayers are with you"

Elena thanked her classmates for everything, just before she left she felt her shoulder get tugged gently, she turned to see Rydan with the sneaky look in his eyes.

"Surely you can get me out of class too" he inquired.

"Why?"

"Well i can like, you know escort you to the temple and stuff, i heard the forest is dangerous" he pleaded.

"Ok, Miss Rouge, may Rydan come too?"

The teacher saw the innocent expression on Rydan's face before rolling her eyes "Fine but be careful".

Rydan punched the air in victory, "Come on let's go" he exclaimed as he swiped up his sword which had to be hung up outside the classroom.

Elena hung her head and sighed "Simple things" before picking up her Scythe.

Rydan waited outside and called to Elena "You ready?"

Elena nodded with determination in her resolve and strode off with her friend to the dark forest which lay ahead.

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Whew finally done with the first chapter, always seems to be the trickiest one to write...character introductions are tricky lol. Anyway, i intend to have a party of approximately 6 or 7 characters in the Chosen's group so if anyone wants a character added, put a review up and e-mail me the particulars. The best ones for the plotline will become characters.

A/N Many people may have noticed Riptos's last name is the same as Sheena's but the reason for that being that his family are ancestors of Igaguri and Sheena. Anyway i hope you all enjoyed the first installment.

Peace out til next time.


	2. 2: A Rival Appears

**Disclaimer: Nope, still dont own Tales of Symphonia however the characters of Riptos, Elena, Rydan, Reval, Chief Taisuke and Miss Rouge are all of my own creation so at least i own something.**

Well its a little earlier than i thought it would be but i suddenly felt the need to update so without further ado here is chapter 2.

**Chapter 2: A Rival Appears**

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Riptos had entered the forest following the almost dazzling light emanating from the hidden temple in the Gaorachia forest, 'wonder why the oracle has to happen here of all places' he thought inwardly. So distracted was he, that he didnt notice the boxing Iris throw a punch until it had smacked him in the left temple.

"Goddammit" Riptos yelled grasping at the red mark on the side of his head, he glared up at the monster that had just ailed him. He clutched at the hilts of his Silver Saidons nicknamed "Justice" & "Love"and drew them from their side holster. "Now you die" Riptos said coldly as the monster screeched and advanced on him again.

Riptos leaped over the offending creature before slashing at the back of the creature which let out an earpiercing scream. "Im not done yet!" the young ninja added cockily "Phoenix Slash" as both his Saidon blades began to glow, he rushed the creature one more time which had raised its arms in defence. The blades erupted into flame as he cut down the creature which was never to rise again.

"Go back to hell" Riptos sneered before reholstering his Sai. 'I let myself get careless there, best keep my guard up, i've heard all about Martel's trial involving monsters so no doubt there will be plenty more where that came from' he thought, mentally kicking himself at the same time.

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Elena and Rydan entered the outskirts of the forest and heard the calls of some eerie and terrifying sounding creatures.

"You sure you want to do this Elena, i mean we can easily head back" Rydan asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

"I have to, if I dont then the Desians will continue to rape the world" she retorted.

"Well if you feel so strongly about it, I guess someone is going to have to protect you" Rydan mused raising an eyebrow in an all knowing way.

"Thanks"

Rydan and Elena walked into the forest to see most of the light cut off by the dense canopy of overhanging trees above them.

'Cold in here' Rydan thought as he heard a shrill cry coming from above him, three huge killer bees had descended upon the pair.

"Look out" Elena called albeit too late as a bee stung Rydan on the arm.

"DAMMIT!" Rydan yelled as he felt the poison coursing through his system, he couldnt let Elena down before they had even really started, he drew his Steel Sword and swung wildly and increasingly weakly at the offending insects.

Elena began to cast a spell for her ally only to be interrupted by a diving insect, she fell to her knees to avoid it before swinging her scythe and blindsiding another insect. She saw another one attempt to divebomb her, she knew she couldnt defend against it in time, she closed her eyes to prepare for the inevitable...

"Fireball!" was called from the forest and three fireballs flew towards the bug and knocked it out of the air, leaving it wriggling helplessly on the ground next to the soon to be Chosen.

The young girl opened one eye to see she was no longer in immediate danger, she looked around for her saviour and saw a man dressed in purple brandishing a Silver Sword and swatting the remaining bees effortlessly. "Who are...?" she was about to ask.

"I'll tell you when we have dealt with this little problem" the man retorted before returning to his quarry.

Elena surveyed the rest of the battlefield to see Rydan labouring for breath, obviously exhausted from fighting poisoned, immediately she began to cast a spell, this time remaining uninterrupted "Recover" she said as a green aura surrounded her friend and he was able to join the fray once more.

Rydan passed a thankful glance as he swung at the bee that had stung him, catching it with ease and taking great pleasure in stamping its insignificant life away.

No sooner was it over and questions were asked at the Chosen's saviour.

"Who are you?" Rydan asked first before Elena could interject.

"I am Kratos, a mercenary for hire, i was on my way to the temple here to see if the next Chosen wishes for me to join their journey" the man replied sheathing his sword.

Elena piped up obviously excited "That's me, i was on my way to accept the oracle from Martel when we got ambushed".

"I see" Kratos added keeping his frown, "This brings me to my next point then, if i can be paid enough, i will accompany you and defend you from the perils this journey will no doubt bring" he added.

"I dont see a problem with that" Elena said, im sure the mayor of Sybak can pay you handsomely for such a job.

"Its a deal then" Kratos smiled slightly.

"Yes, would you accompany us to the Temple further in the forest?" Elena said earnestly.

"I see no problem with this" he replied leading the way for the two friends. "It's just this way" he added.

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Riptos had arrived at the temple entrance to find that he must have arrived before the Chosen considering that the Oracle stone had not been used yet...crossing his arms he sat down waiting for the arrival of the aforementioned person.

'Reval, why do you have to be so stubborn' Riptos thought, remembering his little brother's pleas to join him on his excursion, the mark from the Iris had mostly faded but it was already a painful reminder of what could have happened if he had indeed let his little brother tag along with him.

He shuddered at the thought as he applied an apple gel to the side of his head relieving the last of the swelling, the redness would no doubt disappear within a day or two 'fool on me' he laughed inwardly.

He heard movement coming from his left, using his instincts he leaped and hid above the temple door in a darkened spot before observing where the sound had came from. To his surprise he saw a richly dressed man in purple sporting a rather expensive looking blade, surely the King of Meltokio hadnt sent another worthless mercenary out to find him. 'Oh well this will be mercenary number twelve then' he mused, always wondering when the King would stop sending more men to their deaths for a price.

Drawing a couple of Shurikens from his belt he held them expertly in his hands waiting for the man to draw closer before making his move. He absently noted the man wasnt alone, seemed he was escorting some Sybakian students or he had them as bait, meh didnt matter, he was going to add to his merc kill count today and damned if some students were going to stop him.

The shurikens left his hand at a quick velocity only to be swatted away by the mercenary in question's blade. Clearly in shock Riptos leaped down from his perch above the temple and rested his right hand on his Sai holster. "Hmmm, i give you credit, you are the first one for a while that survived that attack" Riptos jested full of confidence. "However, this doesnt mean you are going to walk out of the forest alive."

The mercenary merely let out a short grunt before assuming a fighting posture.

"Kratos, no, dont fight, lets just get out of here" the female student behind him called out.

Riptos looked behind his opponent and saw the girl who was blonde with warm chocolate eyes, he shifted his piercing gaze back to his opponent. "So your name is Kratos, it's always fun to know a man's name before i kill him" he drew his Saidons.

"Stay back, I can handle this" Kratos said without glaring back at Elena and Rydan.

Elena and Rydan both nodded before taking 3 steps back clearly marking the boundary of the battlefield.

"Shall we begin" Riptos jested before dashing at his opponent.

"It begins" Kratos said.

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Chapter 2 done then, come on people, i need E-mails for other characters here. I hope this chapter catches the attention of more people because unfortunately i know im not well known...yet but heres hoping. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next chapter which will have the fight between Riptos and Kratos in Chapter 3: Ninja vs Mercenary?


	3. 3: Ninja vs Mercenary?

Well here is the next installment then, im hoping that those out there who take the time to read this but arent leaving reviews are enjoying the story so far, im soon going to get to the stage where i need some characters to add, but take your time i dont mind 'rolls eyes'

Anywho...

**Disclaimer: Guess what...I still dont own Tales of Symphonia**

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Chapter 3: Ninja vs Mercenary?

Elena and Rydan had watched helplessly from the sidelines, having been told by their new found protector to remain outwith the battle that was due to unfold. the pair truly had no idea who or why the assailant would choose to attack them and especially now.

Broken from her musings she saw the aforementioned assailant lock blades with Kratos, both holding on level terms until the mercenary forced his blade back with considerable force knocking the attacker over.

"You earnestly believe you can defeat me?" Kratos mocked his opponent before pointing his blade at his opponent.

'This wasnt going well' Riptos thought, 'the King had certainly outdone himself this time, the guys have been getting better but damn, this is such a powerful foe'. Feigning confidence, Riptos regained his balance and eyed his opponent nonchalantly before wiping off some of the dirt from his garb. "Not bad at all but I think its time to get serious".

"Come on then" Kratos continued to keep his blade pointed at the ninja.

Riptos sprinted for his opponent avoiding a swift slash from his opponent, he used his pace to confuse him, shuffling round behind and giving a swift slice of "Justice" upon him.

The cocky ninja jumped back over his opponent and stood tall awaiting Kratos to rise to his feet again.

"Dont you see" he said with an air of overconfidence evident in him "Justice and Love will always win" he added looking down at each of his Sai one after the other.

"We'll just have to see wont we?" Kratos snorted before launching an attack on Riptos "Demon Fang!" he called as he followed the white shockwave which hit the unsuspecting ninja head on.

Dazed and confused after the hit from the shockwave, Riptos tried to utter several curses before a sharp searing pain was felt down his right cheek, 'OH MY GOD!' Riptos screamed inside his head as the pain coursed rapidly through his system. He could feel the hot liquid flowing down his face, raising a hand to it instinctively he dropped the weapon it was holding to confirm what he already knew.

"Yield!" Kratos snapped demandingly, "Dont make me kill you" he added coldly.

Riptos looked up at the man who would no doubt end his run, he took in the cold nature of his dark red eyes, feeling like he was almost looking into the eyes of the devil himself, before he noticed a pendant dangling from his neck, not loosely but he could make out some intricate details on it. His eyes grew wide at this before holstering his remaining Sai and extracting his other weapon from the ground. "Im impressed, but I know that you are not a mercenary". The young ninja threw a smoke bomb at his feet and left as promptly as he had entered.

Kratos was left dumbstruck, he quickly sheathed his sword and held a hand to his pendant that the ninja no doubt had some knowledge of, though how much he didnt know...putting such trivial matters aside, he released it and turned to face his 'clients'.

"You two know each other?" Rydan asked inquisitively.

"No" Kratos merely replied, "There should be no further problem, Chosen, the oracle awaits" he hastily added changing the subject.

Elena stepped forward and looked upon the temple doors and surveyed the 'oracle stone' that was next to the entrance. "What do I do? I mean i dont see any buttons or a lever."

"Try placing your hand on the stone, if you are truly the chosen then the door should open, at least according to the legends anyway" Kratos replied before walking up next to Elena and the pedestal holding the stone.

Rydan crossed his arms, he was beginning to get bored already, 'If it was only gonna be puzzles and locks, why do people keep failing this journey'.

Elena pressed her palm flat on the stone to see the door slide open with the minimum of noise "Wow!" she announced, truly in awe of the technology.

Rydan perked up as well as he looked into the hall that the door had been covering. The young swordsman/white mage put a hand on Elena's shoulder "You ready for this then?".

Elena nodded and led the way with Rydan following and Kratos bringing up the rear just in case the mysterious ninja decided to make a return appearance.

The temple itself was astonishingly gloomy, very becoming of a hidden temple deep in a darkened forest , only residual light from the oracle was keeping the room mostly visible, on the walls were various shields and dated weapons. Ahead was a pedestal raised up, holding what looked like a large ring with a red gemstone adorned on it.

"What on earth is that?" Rydan asked pointing a finger towards the ring on the pedestal.

"Did you ever do anything other than drool over Miss Rouge in class?" Elena arched an eyebrow before continuing "That's the Sorcerer's ring, apparently a very important artifact essential for this journey".

"Oh" Rydan merely said, his attention distracted by a shield which was begging for him to 'acquire' it from here.

"If you are both quite finished" Kratos interrupted, "We have an oracle to receive, Chosen take the ring so we can proceed".

"Yes" Elena said as she walked up the pedestal and picked up the ring, it was about four sizes too big but she gasped when she placed it on her finger and it changed size accordingly.

"What does it do exactly?" Rydan asked, not really too impressed with a shape shifting ring.

"Watch and Martel forbid learn" Elena said aiming the ring at a torch on the wall, she fired a small bolt of fire and lit the torch.

"Thats awesome" Rydan piped up, packed with enthusiasm.

Kratos walked next to the door further on which appeared to have some form of barrier protecting it. "Chosen, try aiming at this barrier".

Elena took aim at the barrier and fired a bolt into the centre of the field nullifying the barrier and allowing the three of them to continue on. Beyond the door was merely a small extension of the corridor and a small circular pad was on the floor. She stood on the platform and disappeared in the ray of light it emitted.

"What the...?" Rydan started before watching Kratos also disappear into the light. "No point worrying i guess" he said to no one in particular and walked into the light as well.

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Riptos was a mess when he managed to stumble back into the village of Mizuho, much to the shock of his fellow clan members. His dear friend Katja ran across and held him up as he stumbled against a house wall.

"Riptos what happened?" the young woman enquired, her vibrant green eyes were full of worry for her friend.

"Mercenary got the best of me in the forest, dont know how..."he said hesitantly, knowing the faith of the village was surely shaken now.

"We have to take you to the doctor" she said observing the slash mark on his young face, one way or another, it was going to leave a considerable scar.

"No, I must report to the Chief, this is important." he said with true desperation in his voice.

Katja merely nodded and walked him to Chief Taisuke's home calling to other villagers to notify the Chief that Riptos had returned.

"Dont worry Riptos, we'll get there" she said reassuringly.

Riptos smiled before standing tall on his own two feet, trying not to rub his wound with his dirty hands. "Thanks Katja, I'll drop by later, I need to speak to the Chief alone about this".

Katja's face plummeted when he said those words. "Sure I guess" she let him off her shoulder and wished him luck with a smile and a nod before turning to return to her duties.

Riptos turned back to his quarry and knocked on the Chief's door "Enter" he heard from inside and did so promptly sliding the door open and closed behind him.

The young ninja bowed before his leader spilling a little bit of blood from his cheek as he did so, catching the Chief by surprise, not just for spilling blood on his floor but moreso seeing his best agent with a wound that would no doubt remain with him for the rest of his days. "Riptos what have you come to report" he asked.

"I have come to report of a man i encountered in the vicinity of the temple in Gaorrachia forest"

"Go on"

"He is adorned as a mercenary, similar to those that the King of Meltokio had despatched to find Mizuho before, however this man is different."

"Define different, you wouldnt report it as such if it was just a normal mercenary who beat you"

"Indeed, the reason I have for this is before the battle ended, I saw a pendant tied around his neck, I remember reading about it, it is the pendant of the Cruxis four Seraphim"

He watched the Chief take this in as his eyes became as wide as dishplates before continuing.

"Unless this mercenary was either really lucky and found the pendant or somehow managed to kill a Seraphim of Cruxis, I think I stood face to face with one of them." he said before falling to one knee, his face really was hurting like hell but trying to hide it was only making it worse, or at least thats how it felt.

"The situation is indeed a strange one, however if what you say is true, he may be after the Chosen of mana for one reason or another, when you have recovered, I wish for you to track this 'Seraphim' down and find out exactly what his intentions are." the Chief announced.

"It shall be as you wish" Riptos replied before bowing to the Chief once more spilling some of his blood on the floor. he turned to exit before the Chief spoke again.

"There is one more thing"

"What is it?" Riptos enquired not turning.

"It's your brother, he is missing."

Riptos turned and faced the Chief and tried to suppress the shock he was feeling from this as well.

"Im sorry" the Chief merely said.

"I'll find Reval too" Riptos replied as he walked out towards the doctor's. 'Reval, why are you doing this? What are you trying to prove'. he mentally questioned himself.

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Chapter 3 finished, apologies for the lateness, duty calls and all, but I hope you likie. As ive said though this is my first proper fic that isnt a one shot so dont slate me too hard k? XD;;

Until next time peace out.


	4. 4: A New Chosen

Well im back again, whether you like it or not, hopefully it is the former, thanks to everyone who has started to enjoy my work to date and encouraged me with reviews, I can only get better as this story progresses. Anyway, there is a bit of a twist in this chapter both in character development as well as the plot, I hope you all enjoy.

**Disclaimer: Yup, I Still don't own Tales of Symphonia.**

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**Chapter 4: A New Chosen**

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Elena looked around the vastness of the spherical chamber she stood in, startled at the sudden change of scenery from the "teleporter" and even more so from watching her protector and friend phase into existence behind her.

"Pretty neat trick" she saw Rydan rattle off to no one in particular.

Kratos merely crossed his arms, almost waiting for Elena to make the next move which she promptly did.

The young girl walked up to the altar and offered her prayers to it, "Oh Goddess Martel, please lend me thy strength" she said sincerely with her eyes closed and hands clasped.

Rydan watched with awe as what appeared to be a pulsating light coming down from the ceiling of the room, suddenly the trio of heroes were engulfed in a blinding flash of light which subsided as quickly as it arrived, only when the light faded they were not alone.

"I see the next Chosen has opted to begin her journey" the unknown voice called out to no one in particular in a matter-of-factly tone.

At this time, the man who had spoken was perceived properly, Elena gasped whereas Rydan stood almost in shock, Kratos surprisingly did nothing.

"Who are you?" Elena asked plainly.

"I am Remiel, I am an Angel of Cruxis and I will be your guide throughout your journey to regenerate the world" he replied monotonously.

"Wow, a real live angel" Rydan gasped quietly enough to keep it to himself.

"I am ready to undertake the journey of regeneration, for all the people of Tethe'alla" Elena stated.

"Very good, then accept this Cruxis Crystal as proof of this agreement" Remiel replied, suddenly the Crystal stopped beaming the shaft of light and slowly started to levitate. Glowing red, the object slowly hovered across towards Elena leaving behind a small sparkling trail of white and red behind it. Ever so slowly the crystal stopped at the girl who raised her hands towards it to accept the gift.

The room suddenly became bright again as the crystal attached itself to the girl, her blonde hair billowing as the attachment happened.

"I hereby proclaim you, Elena Calavera to be the Chosen of Regeneration, we of Cruxis bless this event and therefore bestow the Tower of Salvation upon Tethe'alla". the winged angel proclaimed.

Rydan looked out of the small window which he was standing next to and gasped in shock and awe, it was really happening, they were going to save the world, the proof was standing extremely tall in the distance. "Wow, you guys look, the Tower of Salvation, its over there" he pointed.

Kratos merely turned his head keeping his arms folded, waiting for Remiel to wrap up what he needed to do for Elena.

"The first seal lies far to the west over the sea, seek out that place in distant lands" Remiel preached. "With each seal you unlock, we shall bestow more of Cruxis powers upon you until you become a true angel and climb the stairs of the Tower of Salvation to heaven." he continued.

Rydan piped up, enthusiasm finally mounting for the cause "Alright, now that sounds more like it, no more puzzles" he punched the air.

"Until the next seal, farewell, the Chosen...Elena" Remiel ended his conversation before disappearing as he entered, in a bright flash of light, then suddenly...he was gone.

"Well that was interesting" Kratos said flatly.

Elena touched the Cruxis Crystal lodged above her chest before looking at each of her protectors in turn. "I wish to head home before we begin the journey proper, I need to prepare for such a long trip and also find out where the first seal is".

"It shall be as the Chosen wishes" Kratos nodded before escorting Elena through the teleporter who was promptly follwed by Rydan.

"So the journey finally begins" Elena mused talking to no one in particular, searching through her thoughts and wondering why she wasnt as happy as she should be...

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**Later that Evening - Mizuho**

Katja Katagawa had been tending a fire for a good thirty minutes now, worrying about her dear friend Riptos, she had never seen him in such a bad state, or in such an urgent need of help and with his brother missing too, she could only imagine how much he must be in turmoil. She nursed the pot of curry absently not even noticing a pair of hands suddenly shake her shoulders from behind. "Ahh!" she yelped before turning and being both happy and annoyed at the same time at who she saw.

"Sorry to keep you waiting" Riptos said innocently before noticing the bowl of curry laid out for him. "Hey you laid out food too, now im really sorry for keeping you waiting".

Katja merely rolled her eyes "Yeah you almost lost your dinner before you even tasted it".

Riptos sat down on the nearby stool and stared absently into his curry, shrouded in thought.

His friend noticed this and squeezed his shoulder "Something bothering you?"

"You could say that" he traced the line of the scar he had been given earlier that day, wincing at the touch.

"That mercenary? Right?" she inquired.

"Thats not all"

"Reval too, heck thats all ive been thinking about today until you came back all bloodied" Katja shuffled uncomfortably, wringing her hands as she did so. "I was so worried about you when i saw you a bloodied mess".

"You dont need to worry about me" Riptos jested "Takes more than that to put me down" he feigned a laugh wishing it sounded more genuine than it was.

"When are you leaving again?" Katja asked sincerely.

"Probably daybreak, Reval only has a twenty four hour headstart on me, just need to get a trail on him".

"I would ask if I could accompany you, Reval is like my little brother too, over these past years when you've been away ive sort of adopted him that way." she looked at the floor.

"You know I cant allow you to come under danger, remember our arranged marriage when we both turn twenty one" Riptos said with genuine worry in his voice.

"So its okay for you to be in danger but not me?" she retaliated.

Riptos squirmed a little before catching Katja's gaze, "Im on a mission as of tommorow anyway, Chief Taisuke assigned it to me, finding my brother is just something i can do at the same time."

"That's not fair and you know it" she snapped.

"Im not going to argue with you, i know it isn't but im not breaking tradition and putting my future wife in danger" he said evenly.

"Whatever" she retorted before throwing her bowl of curry at the ground spilling its contents. Without a backward glance, she marched off and entered her house slamming the door as she did so.

'Katja, some things you never seem to understand' Riptos berated her inside his mind. "Some things I have to do alone" he said out loud hoping she would hear. he shifted his train of thought, 'rest would be a wise idea, I may not be back here for a while' he contemplated.

**In the fields outside Ozette**

Reval had been walking solidly for going on eight or nine hours now, determined to prove he was strong enough to fend for himself, not only to his brother but to his entire village, the fields he had been crossing all day seemed desolate at best. The only major landmark he had been through to date had been Ozette and that was pretty much a waste of time. Teeming with life just none of it was human, plenty of trees and bugs but not much else, least the shop owner had plenty of apple and orange gels to sell as well as a new set of short swords, 'money well spent' he thought inwardly.

Reaching into his backpack, he plucked one of the aforementioned orange gels and drank the contents, "Ah that hits the spot" he gasped as the cold fizzy semi liquid passed over his lips.

The moon was passing over the sky and made the fields he was crossing over seem to look almost like a greyscale landscape painting. The light almost stopped him from seeing it coming as a giant beetle divebombed him. Withdrawing his newly acquired short swords from their holster on his right hand side he stood ready to take on his attacker.

"Come at me" he mimicked his brother's confidence as he goaded the bug to try and attack again, and what with being slightly devoid of intelligence, what with being an insect and all, it did without hesitation. Big mistake as a sharp blade cut across it's hardened shell splitting it effortlessly, the bug landing in two slimy pieces on the grassy ground.

"Just like that" Reval smiled, that would prove his brother and everyone wrong, he didnt even take a hit from the monster.

However just as he was about done celebrating he turned and came face to face with a Green Mantis and merely stared down its cavernous maw riddled with claws and all manners of sharp pointy extrusions, only able to elicit a slight "eep!" before being cut down by the first of its claws.

The scream Reval gave off was almost inhuman in pitch as the gash that had been torn across his leg bled a stupid amount of blood, the creature stood over him, goading him in return for the beetle which lay motionless not ten feet from his squirming body. The creature pulled back its claws ready for a fatal strike as a blast of lightning shot out from behind the only tree in the field, frying the creature almost beyond recognition.

The young apprentice ninja looked up and saw his saviour, a man in a cape with long flowing blue hair, he appeared to be brandishing a double blade and had a small contingent of what looked to be Desians with him. 'Dammit all to hell, of all the places I could be injured' he thought as he screamed out loud.

"Quick get him on a stretcher" was all Reval heard before he passed out...

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Chapter 4 is finally complete, Bank holiday stopped me from getting access to a computer so i've been unable to post this up until now.

I would like to thank all of those that have taken time to review and that i'm still looking for some characters for the Chosen's party but it doesnt even have to just be that, bit parts are also available for things such as the Mizuho villagers and warriors from other towns etc. So dont think there isnt space for them.

Until next time though, peace out.


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